Here at Help on Your Doorstep, we believe that it’s not just WHAT we do that really matters, but HOW we do it.

In 2016, we came together with five other organisations in Islington, North London, to compare practice, listen and learn from each other. It has been a fantastic five years working with Claremont Project, Company Three, Cripplegate Foundation and The Parent House and the London Borough of Islington’s Homes and Communities Team.

Over five years of partnership, we discovered something that unified all of our work: a commitment to working in a relational way - treating those we work with as equals.

Together we have created a new website: How Not What. This online tool has been created as a free resource for anyone who believes it’s time to put quality relationships at the heart of our services.

Research shows that working relationally improves our outcomes and happiness. It feels good for everyone involved – it is scientifically proven that feeling like we matter has a positive impact on our health, productivity and life span.

Focusing on quality relationships improves everyone’s experience, including staff, who will benefit from greater job satisfaction.

What is How Not What?

How Not What is about being part of a community; about building relationships in which everyone feels human and nourished. Meeting people as equals, rather than transactions to be completed, reaching out to people, rather than expecting people to come to us and welcoming people in a warm and caring way. 

We have chosen to present our collated resources on one central website to allow easy access to a variety of resources. You can view all the resources that we have available here.

Who is it for?

How Not What is for anyone, in any organisation and any role, who wants to work in a more relational way. You can join and take full advantage of all these free resources if you are a charity, service delivery organisation, community group, business or anyone who wants to start or continue the change.

How can you get involved?

We’ve collated a series of resources, ideas, exercises and insights to support anyone who wants to start working in a more relational way.

We don’t pretend to know all the answers, but our work together over five years has helped us think about and articulate some of the things we do - and we want to share what we’ve discovered.

Feel free to use these resources in whatever way is most useful to you and your organisation. We recommend setting aside regular time with your team to talk about your culture and the way you meet the people you work with.

As a group of experienced organisations and charities, we understand that building trusting relationships means we are better able to understand and get to the heart of the issue and therefore more likely deal with what really matters.

People who feel visible, valued and involved are more likely to engage with our services, and working together with people helps to find what can make a real difference and what can prevent future difficulties from arising.

If you would like to see more about How Not What click here to visit the website. If you have any questions or would like to discuss How Not What further, please contact Nikki at Cripplegate.